Urban Meyer shoots down any talk of Texas

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The rumors, conversation and speculation might ultimately include his name, but Urban Meyer has preemptively doused the flame. The Ohio State coach is happy where he is, and if Texas comes calling, he doesn’t appear to have any interest. Surrounded by the media after practice on Wednesday for the Discover Orange Bowl, Meyer quickly dismissed any potential link between him and the job his friend Mack Brown just stepped down from with the Longhorns, making it clear his focus is on the elite job he already has with the No. 7 Buckeyes and not the one that just came open.

That simple, strong message still might not be enough to silence whispers that Meyer could be a target for the Longhorns given how high they are likely to be aiming to replace Brown. Their sights were obviously on guys already at the top of the profession to begin with based on the reported pursuit of Alabama’s Nick Saban, which is barely in the rearview mirror now and started well before the gig was even officially available.

If Texas does wind up chasing decorated coaches with experience at marquee programs, Meyer would clearly fit the bill and would almost certainly appear on a short-list of candidates for a school with deep pockets and sky-high expectations given his reputation as a motivator and proven winner with a pair of national titles on his resume.

But Ohio State has a strong recruiting base and Meyer is already having success expanding it nationally. The Big Ten might have been relatively down the last couple years, but the competition is still strong enough to keep the Buckeyes in position to qualify for the upcoming College Football Playoff. And, perhaps most important, Meyer has relished the opportunity to return to his home state and build the Buckeyes back into annual contenders for the national title, and he’s also already quite well compensated for that work.

SportsNation: Who wins the Orange Bowl? Will Ohio State and Clemson shake off in-season disappointment to turn the Orange Bowl into a shootout? Vote! » Those factors are likely enough on their own to keep Meyer from having much interest in any potential opening, even one that comes with as much prestige as Texas. But like Saban, he also considers Brown a close friend, and that might provide yet another discouragement from even thinking about leaving Ohio State after two seasons. “Really good friends — but we don’t talk much about jobs,” Meyer said…